Miniature furniture is furniture made on a greatly reduced scale, ranging from tiny pieces for doll's houses to larger examples a foot or two high that faithfully reproduce full-size chests of drawers, bureaux, dressers and chairs. Many were made as apprentice pieces, travelling salesmen's samples, children's toys or decorative objects in their own right.
The tradition dates back several centuries, and fine examples survive from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in mahogany, walnut, oak and pine, as well as in silver, brass and ivory. Apprentice pieces are often cited as demonstrations of a young cabinetmaker's skill, though in reality many miniatures were made simply as ornaments, jewellery boxes or storage for small items. The best examples share the construction techniques of full-size furniture, with dovetailed drawers, veneers, crossbanding, inlay and correct period handles, and they follow the proportions of their larger counterparts closely. Collectors look for original surfaces and fittings, good scale and detail, and a sense of genuine age, as reproductions have been made in quantity. Miniature furniture is a charming and space-saving collecting field, displaying well on a table, a shelf or within a glazed cabinet.
